Message in a Bruise
by The Wandering Swordsman
Summary: *Chapter 485* Sanji gets a special injury that only he knows where it came from. More nakama-bond than romance, but rating it in T.


**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

**This happened before Sanji knew what happened at the Kuma vs. Zoro event.  
**

Chopper was running around like a bee, trying to check up on all of the citizens of Thriller Bark. There were many casualties, so he tried to sort them out from the lightest to the most severe. All of the Straw Hats, except Zoro and the ladies, were held last because Chopper knew they could stand the pain longer than normal people. When it finally came to their turn, Chopper started from Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Franky.

The reindeer's eyes widened when he was inspecting Sanji's body. His large eyes stopped at one side of the abdomen.

"Oh no!" Sanji peered down to meet a massive dark bruise. It was dark black and purple with the edges turning into an eerie green color. It was bigger than his outstretched hand. Sanji's stomach churned and couldn't believe he had been walking around normally. Now the pain was kicking in and it hurt as Chopper's hooves gently padded over the tender skin.

"Does it hurt?"

"Kind of."

"You shouldn't move around much Sanji, but you're lucky. If Oz hit you an inch higher with this strength, your rib cage would've been broken into pieces!"

Sanji took in a breath of cold air and chuckled sadly. "It wasn't Oz."

"Huh?"

"Hm, nothing Chopper."

Chopper was usually the curious one, but today was special. He had to monitor the patients with the severe injuries, so his mind could not fall off course. Sanji was grateful because he regretted saying it out loud. He remained silent, so Chopper could quickly check his body for any signs of broken bones, cuts, or sprains. When he came out of the temporarily made infirmary tent he went in search of Franky. It was a bit difficult to walk since more than half of his body was dressed in bandages.

The shipwright was in a cavernous building where the patients rested. The big man was watching over Zoro.

Sanji tapped Franky on the back, "Your turn's up."

"Thanks Bro." Franky smiled, and he hobbled, "Do you want me to call Usopp to watch over the swordsman?"

"Nah, I'll watch him for a while. Usopp needs a break too."

"Alright." Franky nodded and carefully stepped over the boulders, so he wouldn't trip. Sanji took Franky's spot, which was a rigid piece of rock that fell from the broken ceiling. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it had a nice height proportion to Zoro's rock bed.

Zoro's features were taut and hard, unlike the calm and peaceful look when the swordsman was sleeping. What happened between the Warlord and the idiot mosshead? What did the swordsman do to convince the robot to leave the island without hurting anyone?

A flash of the macabre scene opened up in Sanji's mind, and he shivered. There was so much blood, and it was all from Zoro. Yet, the swordsman was alive, barely but nevertheless breathing. If Sanji endured the same torture Zoro went through would he have been standing in the same way Zoro was, or would he be dead?

His hand fell to the lower abdomen where Chopper bound it tight with bandages. He could feel his pulse pumping underneath in quick beats. The pain of the bruise was evident now. A gentle twist of his hip, and a screaming pain from the side told him to stop.

Sanji brushed his hand around, making small circles over the bruise. He remembered the exact place where the hilt of Zoro's sword slammed into his side. He recalled the trifle fights he and Zoro had done, and how different it was. They fought constantly with feet and swords, but they always avoided the critical points. When they did hurt the other it was usually an accident, so the cuts were very mild. The wound that Zoro inflicted was done with great force. The swordsman used all of his strength into the sword to make Sanji fall unconscious-and stay unconscious.

That was how much the swordsman wanted to save Sanji.

"Stupid Marimo..." Sanji whispered as he stared at the sleeping swordsman, "When you wake up, I'm going to kick you so much you'll wish you stayed sleeping."

In his heart, a tiny voice whispered out a thank you and was grateful for his bravery. Sanji predicted exactly what the swordsman was going to do the first thing he woke up: Zoro was going to yell at him. He was going to demand why Sanji gave up his life and dream so easily. If that did happen, Sanji was going to shut him up by giving him his favorite sake. Hopefully, Chopper would forgive him this round.

**The End**


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